


Ghosting

by toad_in_the_road



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Character Turned Into a Ghost, Dark Magic, Death is nonbinary, Dogs, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel Fluff, F/M, Ghosts, Good Significant Other Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider, Grim Reapers, Halloween, Hurt/Comfort, Magic, New Dream, POV Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider, Song: Ghosting (Mother Mother), Songfic, death is essentially a bored and disgruntled retail employee, fight me, ghost au, hes trying his best from beyond the grave!!!, hot take of the day, im gay, im gonna be honest theres not that much comfort, this will be the only songfic i ever write
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:33:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27297958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toad_in_the_road/pseuds/toad_in_the_road
Summary: In a world where Eugene Fitzherbert does not survive, his love still does, even under six feet of earth.
Relationships: Cassandra & Rapunzel (Disney: Tangled), Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Maximus, Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Rapunzel, Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel, Gothel & Rapunzel (Disney)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 33





	Ghosting

**Author's Note:**

> HALLOWEEN TANGLED SPECIAL IS MORE LIKELY THAN YOU THINK  
> its so weird not to be writing gay shit but like the gays own Halloween so i guess it evens out  
> anyway i was listening to mother mother because im mentally unstable and was like oh hey i should use this song so here we are!

_**I’ve been ghosting, I’ve been ghosting alone  
Ghost in your house, ghost in your arms** _

It took more time to die than Eugene would have liked. 

At the same time, it was over far too quick. There was a lot to say. There was a lot to do. And most of all, there was so much to fix that he would never have a chance at. Because a mix between stupidity and bad luck had him bleeding out on the rough, uneven cobblestones of Rapunzel’s tower.

He gritted his teeth, partially to keep from crying out, partially from reflex. He managed to peel his eyes open slightly, trying to focus on anything else other than the pain. There wasn’t too much, unfortunately. 

_**When you’re tossing, when you turn in your sleep  
It’s because I’m ghosting your dreams** _

There was...glass on the floor. He could see that, of course. Thick clouds had gobbled up the sun outside, but it was still bright enough to see the mirror shards sparkling without much enthusiasm like weak stars. He managed to shift himself, and felt the edges slice at his hands. Jagged, spiteful stars. 

He became slightly more aware that someone was crying and talking to him, and his hand stung slightly, (although it was nothing compared to the hole in his side, emptying sluggishly onto the cold floor) and everything came back with such sudden clarity he had wanted to whack his forehead and shout ‘Duh!’

He had grabbed one of the jagged stars and sliced off Rapunzel’s hair. Really, when he thought about it now, post-emergency haircut, it was probably dumb. He couldn’t have waited another thirty seconds for her to do her little song and _then_ done the deed? That would have solved eighty percent of his problems. He almost wanted to laugh at the epiphany, but couldn’t find the strength, and also didn’t think such an action would be appropriate, nor comforting to Rapunzel, who was still sobbing.

At least he had taken care of the more important problem. She was free.

_**And this is why I have decided  
To pull these old white sheets from my head** _

It didn’t hurt so much now, at least, but that was a bad sign for sure. He felt cold, very cold, and dizzy even though he was already lying down. Each desperate bid for air felt like a frantic bird beating against the bars of his ribcage, desperate to get out. How long had it been? A minute? An hour?

Too long to die, it was too long to die but not enough time to say anything of great importance. Last words were pretentious and grandiose, but he never had a problem with being pretentious and grandiose. 

“Rapunzel.” He managed to rasp out, and for a second he was afraid she wouldn’t hear him because it was so, so quiet. But she did, by some miracle, and paused, looking at him with big tears. 

“What?” She asked. 

His mouth was dry, and he took a moment to collect himself because now he felt floaty, and some deep terror told him he was running lower on time than ever. “You were my new dream.” He said, and he hoped that was enough. Of course it wasn’t, but he hoped it would suffice.

Rapunzel managed to smile-somehow. Though it was fractured and filled with tears and despair. “And you were mine.” She choked out.

That was good enough, he supposed. It wasn’t like he could do anything else, because at that moment, his heart gave one more defiant beat, and a final breath left his throat like the bird had found its way out.

Dead.

_**I’ll leave them folded neat and tidy  
So that you’ll know I’m out of hiding** _

“So what do you want to do now?” 

Eugene blinked, realizing he must be underwater. 

The world around him was dark and murky, and his feet weren’t touching the ground. What little light there was shifted, the colors around him mixed between muted browns and greens.

He gasped, and then immediately covered his mouth. How did he end up underwater? It didn’t matter, he had to get out, and then he could perform detective work on his own near drowning-

But that couldn’t be right. There was no reason to be underwater. He lifted his arm experimentally, something telling him there should be a chain attached to his wrist, but there was nothing.

There was absolutely nothing.

“I said,” An vaguely annoyed voice repeated. “What are you going to do?”

Eugene turned, startled. There was a person staring at them with an unreadable expression, bony arms crossed across their chest. Their bare feet didn’t touch the ground, and their skin was an unnatural white color, as though they had been drained of blood. They had a simple black tunic, a red cord tied around their waist. Their hair was the same muted green of the scenery, and big, eerie pale blue eyes stared at him.

“And take your hand away from your mouth,” They said. “You look silly, and you can’t drown down here.”

“What?” Eugene asked, moving his hand away slowly, slightly embarrassed. 

“For the third time,” They said. “What are you going to do?”

“Where am I?” Eugene asked, realizing suddenly that his feet weren’t touching the ground either. “Who are you?!”

The person smiled, and it lifted the dark bags under their eyes slightly. “You seem pretty smart. Take a guess.”

Eugene wanted to argue with this...this freak, shake them until they let him out because he had important things to fix, Rapunzel would need his help, Rapunzel-

He opened his mouth, but all that came out was an awful admission.

“I’m dead.”

_**I’ve been ghosting, I’ve been ghosting alone  
Ghost in the world, ghost with no home** _

“Yeah,” The person nodded, looking pleased. “So what do you want to do?”

“Who are you?!” Eugene demanded, trying not to panic with little success.

“What do you think?” They gestured vaguely. “Death, obviously. Or I guess just the greeter. Death can’t really be a person. It’s a concept. Like...a color. But Death’s fine, if you gotta call me something.”

“W-what, I-” Eugene thought he would be gasping and panicking, but he wasn’t, mostly because he _didn’t need to breathe anymore because he didn’t need lungs, the last breath was somewhere out of reach and he couldn’t grab it and force it back in-_

“Are you going to freak out?” Death asked, and then sighed. “Fine, go ahead. Try not to take too long.”

“Do you have somewhere to be?!” Eugene snapped, because irritation was easier than panic.

“Yes,” Death said in a, well, deadpan voice. “You’re not the only person dying today.”

“Must...must be a big backlog.” Eugene said, because humor was also easier than panic.

“Maybe?” Death shrugged. “Maybe there’s more of me to pick up the slack. I don’t know how long you’ve been dead for before you got to me. Maybe no time at all. Maybe a million years. Time is funny. I don’t know how it works.”

“ _You_ don’t know how it works?!” Eugene asked.

“I just work here.” Death shrugged again.

_**I remember, I remember the days  
When I’d make you oh so afraid** _

“I can’t be dead.” Eugene said, and he hated how pleading his voice was. 

Death shrugged. “It’s not up to me.”

“But Rapunzel! She...I need to make sure she’s okay!” Eugene gasped.

“I don’t know who Rapunzel is,” Death said. “But you’re hardly the first person to tell me they’ve got someone to get back to. It doesn’t matter. Now please, please don’t kick up a fuss and take one million years to decide what to do.”

“What...what I want to do?” He asked.

“You have two options-and only two, don’t start trying to wheedle your way out, it’s annoying. First, you can go on.” They said.

“Go…” Eugene swallowed. “Go on?”

“You know, be at peace or whatever. Go onto whatever’s next.” Death said.

“What? Hell?” Eugene asked, because he highly doubted one good deed at the very last second outweighed all the bad ones.

“I don’t know what comes next. Maybe heaven, maybe hell, maybe nothing.” Death said.

“And...the second option?” Eugene asked, though some part of him seemed to have already guessed.

“If you can convince me, you can go back as a ghost.” Death said.

_**And this is why I have decided  
To leave your house and home unhaunted** _

“Ghost.” Eugene said immediately.

Death sighed. “ _Everyone_ chooses the ghost. What if there was an awful fine print? You didn’t even wait to hear if there was fine print!”

“I-is there?” He asked nervously.

“I don’t know, I’ve never been a ghost before. It doesn’t matter yet, first you have to convince me you have unfinished business.” Death said.

“If everyone chooses ghosts, why isn’t...home filled with ghosts?” Eugene asked uncertainly. 

“Well, I don’t let everyone through. Just because they want a ghost doesn’t mean they’ll get it. And I assume ghosts aren’t seen very often in the living world, seeing as many people who come through here seem to be under the impression they don’t exist. Or there could be a number of reasons.” They said, pacing. Or at least, floating back and forth.

“So after my unfinished business, I...go to a better place?” Eugene asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe you just wander around forever. I told you, I just work here, stop asking. Personally,” Death said. “I think being a ghost sounds miserable.”

“You can’t know that.” Eugene said.

“I’ve never heard any complaints from the other side, but I sure hear about a lot of ghost grievances. Seems like you’d be watching everything go by, helpless to stop it. You seem nice enough, so take some advice-just move on.” Death said.

Eugene was quiet for a moment. “So...I have to convince you that I have worthy unfinished business?”

Death groaned, dragging their long fingers down their face. “No one ever listens to me.”

_**You don’t need poltergeists for sidekicks  
You don’t need treats, and you don’t need tricks** _

“Is that it?” Eugene asked. “I need to go back for Rapunzel. I want to know she’s okay.”

“Do you-” Death sputtered. “Do you have any idea how many people come through saying ‘oh, I need to check on my family, I just wanna say hi-’”

“She’s not my family,” Eugene said. “I’m in love with her.”

“That’s even less unique.” Death said. 

“What?!” Eugene scowled.

“Everyone has some lover they want to go back to. I don’t care.” They said.

“But it was too soon!” Eugene said, feeling desperate. “I’ve only known her a few days, I-”

“Just so you know, telling me you’ve only known her a few days does nothing to convince me.” Death said, almost looking amused.

“Look, I didn’t really believe in the whole love at first sight thing either. And honestly, it wasn’t that, but…” Eugene felt shaky, dangerously close to tears. Could dead people cry? “I...I just want to make sure she’s okay. She just went through hell, I just...I just want to...I won’t be able to, I don’t know, rest until I know she’s okay.”

_**You don’t need treats, you don’t need tricks  
You don’t need no Halloween** _

“You’re not going to be able to do anything for her,” Death said. “Not anything that really matters, anyway.”

“I don’t care,” Eugene said, though he knew that wasn’t true. “I died for her already. Staying dead for her can’t be any harder.”

“I think you’d be surprised.” Death said, but looked thoughtful. After a moment, they sighed. “Are you sure this is what you want? I don’t know if you can go back. You certainly won’t see me again. You’re giving up your afterlife.”

“I don’t care.” Eugene said, and this time he really did mean it. 

Death shrugged, as if deciding they couldn’t be bothered to be concerned. “It’s your eternity. Make the best of it, I guess.”

“So now what-”

_**You don’t need treats, you don’t need tricks  
And you don’t need me** _

“-do I do-hey!” Eugene jerked, sun suddenly shining in his eyes. He stumbled back, and his back pressed against something hard. He jumped, realizing he was at the foot of the tower. 

For a second, he got excited. He was solid, and he tested it again by touching the tower’s stone, hope rising up in him like a tsunami when he felt the coarse, uneven texture. He looked down at his hands, solid and calloused, flexing his fingers.

“Hello?” He said, and laughed when he heard his own voice. (Nevermind that there was no echo)

“Hey! Hello! Is anyone there?! Rapunzel?! Hey!” He craned his neck up to the top of the tower, staring at the window. “Hello?! Rapunzel!”

There was no answer. 

“HELLO!” He screamed, and this time he could no longer deny that there was no echo from his voice.

A large bee buzzed past his face, and he ducked away from it on instinct. The bee flew by, coming to rest on a large patch of flowers that hadn’t been there before. It was too big, too bright to be natural, as if someone had scattered seeds around the tiny area and let the flowers take care of the rest.

The bee landed on a daisy, and the flower bent under its weight, moving to reveal a large, white stone with writing on it. The paint was mostly faded from it, but he could still see it well enough. 

EUGENE FITZHERBERT, RESCUER OF THE LOST PRINCESS

His grave.

_**Hey, would it be so bad if I stayed?** _

Eugene couldn’t go through things, but he couldn’t move them either. 

He had tried to grab the stone, unsure what he wanted to do with it, but found it impossibly heavy. He spent several minutes trying to lift it off the ground, to no avail. He had tried to grab the flowers, but they were equally heavy. When the breeze brushed them, the thin petals knocked his hand aside as though it were a blow. It didn’t hurt, but it was...disturbing.

“What’s the point of being a ghost if you can’t even do fun ghost stuff?!” Eugene said out loud.

He got no response. 

“Lost princess?” He asked the headstone, feeling stupid for talking to it. “Don’t remember doing that…”

Rapunzel wasn’t up there, Eugene was sure of that. She would have left, gone elsewhere. Only he didn’t have the slightest idea where she might have headed off too. 

He paused, and then sighed deeply. “Probably back to the city,” He said to himself. “She could find someone to help her out.”

He took one last long look at his grave, entirely unsure what to make of it. He didn’t feel dead. But he certainly didn’t feel alive.

“Being a ghost sucks.” He decided, and set off in the direction of Corona.

_**I’m just a ghost out of his grave  
And I can’t make love in my grave** _

When people walked in his path, he didn’t know if they went through him or if he missed it.

The first opportunity Eugene got, he stood in front of someone so they would have slammed into him. He waited, wondering if he would stop them or they would go through him. But...at the moment he would have made contact, the person was suddenly behind him, carrying on with their business.

He tried it a few more times, but every time someone was about to bump into him, it was suddenly over, as if he had blacked out for less than a split second and missed the results. No one ever seemed to notice anything was amiss.

He made horses nervous. The animals would snort nervously when he was near, eyes wide, and flinch if he touched them. At first, this made him hopeful, but then he felt guilty for making them nervous. And anyway, they seemed to brush off his presence if he was around them for longer than a few minutes.

Eugene wasn’t sure how much time had passed between his death and now. Long enough for flowers to grow around his corpse. Long enough for the paint on his headstone to fade. Long enough for something to go wrong, long enough, gone long enough.

“I wasn’t gone,” He said out loud. “I was dead. I am dead.”

For the first time, the reality hit him like a runaway wagon. He was dead. He was never coming back. No one could see him, no one could hear him. Eugene Fitzherbert was dead, buried underneath flowers and carefree bees, and the world moved on.

“I’m dead.” He said again, and felt an unidentifiable emotion bubble up inside of him when no one in the crowded street paid him any mind. “I AM DEAD!” He shouted, but there was no response. 

He started screaming, and he didn’t really know why. He tried to grab people, but when his hand gripped something solid, he couldn’t move it, or he was dragged along as though he were entirely weightless. He lunged at people, but he never quite knew if he passed through them or not. He did anything and everything he could, but no one even blinked at him.

And he was screaming at the top of his lungs all the while.

And once he got sick of that, he fell to his knees in the middle of the streets, gasping, though he didn’t need to. He felt the stone road, felt the sun on the back of his neck, though it was cold. He could feel it, but if he tried to take control, present even the tiniest bit of autonomy…

“I’m dead.” Eugene said.

He broke down into sobs in the middle of the street, and no one even looked at him.

_**I won’t put white into your hair  
I won’t make noises in your stairs** _

He found out that Rapunzel was the lost princess after overhearing a conversation between a butcher and customer.

He felt surprised, in a detached kind of way. Of course she was the princess, of course. That was a relief, he supposed, as it meant she didn’t have to worry about her future. Her family, as he heard, welcomed her back with complete joy and open arms. She deserved it, of course, and it made him smile.

The sun was setting. Eugene stared at the castle, wondering what he was supposed to do now. He wished he had known she was a princess before he had died. Then maybe he could have gone, knowing she was alright. He was already sick of being a ghost.

“If I had known,” He asked himself. “Would it have mattered?”

Probably not. He sighed, trying to convince himself not to try and get into the palace. It was stupid. And he probably wouldn’t be able to anyway.

“I won’t be hurting anyone other than myself.” He decided, and then frowned. He wasn’t sure he liked how easily he was falling into the habit of talking to himself. 

It looked like it was chilly based on how people were grabbing shawls as the sun disappeared under the water, and a fine mist began to spread across the bay. Eugene assumed it was cold; he couldn’t tell. He wondered what would happen if he jumped into the water. 

He probably would have thrown himself in without much thought before he heard something click-clacking on the cobblestone. He glanced over and nearly gasped when he saw a familiar white stallion making his way back to the castle.

“Max,” Eugene said, his voice a whisper. “Max!”

Maximus faltered momentarily, and his rider-some guard Eugene didn’t recognize-nudged him. “Come on, it’s getting late.” He said.

Maximus snorted, Eugene’s presence evidently still making him nervous, but he wasn’t going to freak out like most horses had. As if challenging the supernatural presence, he set off into a brisk trot, ears pricked forward and alert.

“Max, it’s me! Hey, wait!” Eugene said, rushing to the horse. This time Maximus reacted a bit more dramatically, whinnying in surprise and rearing slightly before backing up, pawing the ground nervously.

“Hey-! What’s with you?!” The guard asked, looking startled. 

“It’s me! Eugene!” Eugene said, waving his arms in desperation. He had no idea what Maximus saw. Maybe a shadow, maybe a monster, maybe nothing but an eerie feeling. All the same, Maximus refused to go forward, ears pinned back and glaring at Eugene. 

No, not at him. _Through_ him. 

The realization hit like a ton of awful bricks. Without a word, Eugene stepped aside, and Maximus lurched forward into a choppy canter, past Eugene and into the safety of the castle. 

_**I will be kind and I’ll be sweet,  
If you stop staring straight through me** _

He had given up a while ago. 

He was never lucky enough to catch the castle doors when they were open, and scaling the walls was useless. If he could pick up rope, it would be no problem, but as it was, he was essentially relying on someone to leave the door open. Not even unlocked. Just wide open. And even the worst guards weren’t stupid enough to do that.

So Eugene had resigned himself more or less to his ghostly existence of wandering around the village, trying to find something, anything to occupy his time. There wasn’t much, other than scaring poor, unsuspecting animals, but he felt bad about doing that. Most of the time. 

He was perched on the wall of the bridge, leaning against a lamppost and watching several small children lugging large pumpkins from a wagon, looking eager. With a dull note of surprise, he realized they were carving them up, making mostly leering faces onto the orange gourds. All Hallows’ Eve must be approaching. He hadn’t realized that much time had passed. 

Vaguely, he wondered how much time he had spent in limbo before he came back. It hadn’t been so bad. At first, the thought of an endless void seemed terrifying, but when faced with an endless existence filled with dull misery and boredom...well, if he didn’t exist, he couldn’t be sad, at least.

“Only _you_ could be suicidal when suicide isn’t even possible anymore.” He told himself, and almost chuckled at the irony. Almost. It was still a bit too morbid for now.

He sighed deeply, staring into the sun, oddly frustrated when the brightness of it didn’t hurt his eyes.

“Princess!” A child called out excitedly, and Eugene nearly fell off the wall he stood up so fast, going from staring at one sun to another. 

Princess Rapunzel smiled at the excited kids, her hair still short and uneven from a hack job with a chunk of mirror. The event-his own death-felt like a lifetime ago. Though, he supposed with more dark humor, it technically was a lifetime ago.

“I should have gone into comedy.” Eugene said, unable to tear his eyes away from Rapunzel.

One of the kids grabbed her hand and dragged her forward, chattering excitedly to her. Eugene wasn’t paying attention, too focused on the fact that she was _here_ in front of him, and he couldn’t do anything but watch. 

His apathy was scary, really. At the beginning, he would have probably shouted, tried to grab her hand, throw things, anything to get her attention. But he knew it was useless now. Anything he tried to do was useless and a waste of his time. His endless, eternal, empty time. 

He didn’t know why Gothel was willing to commit unspeakable crimes in order to remain around forever. Barely six months in and he was already sick of it. Although, to be fair, she had slightly more autonomy than him.

Eugene still found himself standing up and following Rapunzel, unable to force himself to get too close lest he break down. She seemed...happy. She plopped down cross-legged with the children, talking easily with the kids as she dug her arms into an open pumpkin, scooping out the guts with little regard for royal decorum. It made Eugene smile-a genuine one. 

“Blondie?” He asked before he could tell himself not to, or remind himself that she was no longer blonde, and had not been for a while. He studied Rapunzel for her reaction. He didn’t know what he was expecting. Maybe she would falter in her words for just a second, maybe she would turn around. He would have accepted an imperceptible change in her leaf-colored eyes, though now the leaves were red, orange, and curling at the edges instead of green and alive. 

But Rapunzel did nothing, merely continuing her pumpkin. 

_**And this is why I have decided  
To pull these old white sheets from my head** _

“Rapunzel?” He asked again, and realized his voice was pitchy. “Rapunzel, it’s me.”

There was still nothing from her, busy tracing the outline of a grinning face on her pumpkin with surprising precision.

“Rapunzel, please,” He said, and a feeling of panic began to build inside him, though he didn’t know why. “It’s me. It’s Eugene. I’m-” He was going to say ‘okay’, but that would be a lie. “-here, I’m back!”

“Here, I’ll make a happy one.” She told a small child, starting to cut into the pumpkin, making the orange gourd a smiling mouth, unique from the jagged, mean-spirited grins every other jack-o-lantern seemed to share.

“Rapunzel!” Eugene shouted, and now panic consumed him, and he had the urge to grab her, but didn’t. Even now, he couldn’t bring himself to do that. “Rapunzel, oh God, please, I can’t...no no no…” 

He took a step forward, but it was too shaky, and he stumbled, falling roughly to his knees. Not that he could feel the roughness. “Blondie,” He said, his voice a hoarse whisper, tears building in his eyes. “I missed you so much.”

Rapunzel didn’t answer, oblivious to the grieving spectre behind her. When she tossed a bit of pumpkin behind her, she didn’t notice it bounce off of something unseeable.

Neither did the spectre.

_**I’ll leave them folded neat and tidy  
So that you know I’m out of hiding** _

He saw her a few more times after that, mostly with another woman with short dark hair in a handmaid's uniform named Cassandra. She was coarse, rough, and sometimes downright rude, and Eugene didn’t like her very much.

But she seemed to make Rapunzel happy, and Eugene could see she genuinely cared about the princess, so he supposed he could put up with her. Not like he had much of a choice.

“I’m still not clear on this holiday,” Rapunzel admitted, watching a villager put an orange film over a streetlamp. “It’s like a fall festival?”

“Basically,” Cassandra said. “Supposedly, it’s when the so-called barrier between the dead world is thin enough to the point where some monsters and ghosts can come through. You’re supposed to dress up as a monster so the monsters think you’re one of them and don’t get you. It’s mostly an excuse for little kids to get candy.”

“It’s not a one time thing,” Eugene said, following the two. “We ghosts get to be miserable year round.”

Rapunzel faltered ever so slightly. “Is it...real?”

“What do you mean?” Cassandra asked.

“Like, ghosts coming back? To see people?” Rapunzel said, her voice small. Pascal squeaked from her shoulder, and Eugene’s heart plummeted. 

Cassandra’s face held a similar expression. “Oh, Raps, I’m so sorry-”

“I-it’s okay! I…” Rapunzel took a shaky breath, blinking rapidly. “Sorry, I don’t…” She tried to laugh, but a few tears spilled over. “I r-really thought I was over bursting into tears randomly.”

“Come on, let’s go back-” Cassandra said, but Rapunzel shook her head.

“No! I’m okay, just…” She sniffled, and Pascal nudged her cheek. “I need a second.”

“Right.” Cassandra nodded, immediately grabbing Rapunzel’s hand and leading her into a deserted alley. Feeling like an outsider, Eugene followed.

Rapunzel was crying, fairly hard by this point, and Cassandra hugged her tightly. Eugene tried to touch her shoulder, but he only had the same, strange split-second blackout he always got when he tried to interact with the living world. 

“I’m sorry.” Rapunzel said, and Cassandra shook her head.

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for. I told you, you don’t have to bottle that up. I know how awful it feels.” Cassandra said, and Eugene felt an odd rush of gratitude for her support. Too bad he hadn’t been alive when they met; surely they would have been great friends!

“I-I just miss him so much,” Rapunzel said, and her cries only grew harsher as grief spilled out of her like a burst dam. “A-and I keep thinking, what if I had j-just-”

“No, God, Rapunzel, it’s not your fault-” Eugene said, trying to take her hand with no success. 

At least Cassandra had the same idea. “It’s not your fault. It’s Gothel’s. And it’s awful it had to be this way, but based on how you describe the guy, I’m sure he would have no regrets.”

“I don’t.” Eugene said in almost a whisper, and was surprised to realize that he meant it. 

“It’s not fair.” Rapunzel said, and that was the last word she could get out before she dissolved into sobs.

Cassandra hugged her tightly. “You’re right,” She agreed. “It’s not.”

They ended up going back to the castle anyway, and Eugene was left behind again, useless to comfort the love of his life.

_**And this is why I have decided  
To leave your house and home unhaunted** _

Something was off about that dog in the streets.

A massive black hound plodded peacefully through the streets at a lazy trot, ignoring the excited costumed children around it. The children ignored it too, which was equally odd. The dog didn’t seem dangerous, so there was no reason for them not to fawn over it. There was more than enough of the dog to go around-hell, it was big enough for most of the kids to ride it comfortably.

Then the dog paused, and looked straight at Eugene.

Eugene froze, but he knew the dog could see him as clearly as he could see everyone else. Unsure, he whistled, and the dog’s ears perked up.

“Here, boy.” Eugene said, and whistled again. The dog’s tail slowly started to wag.

“Come here, good dog!” Eugene patted his knee, and the dog came over to him, easily weaving its way through the crowd. Eugene touched its head delicately, and laughed when he felt solid fur. 

“Who’s a good boy?” He asked, immediately kneeling down to scratch the dog vigorously. The dog’s tail wagged, and it panted happily. “How can you see me, huh? What’s up with that-”

He stood up suddenly when a child ran right through the dog. The dog huffed, seemingly irritated, but no worse for wear. 

“A ghost dog,” Eugene said. “Of course. Why not?”

The dog woofed approvingly. “It is All Hallow’s Eve,” Eugene said. “I guess a ghost dog isn’t off the table.”

The dog shook itself, and Eugene paused, blinking when he realized that it wasn’t just children running amok. Tall, shadowy creatures stalked the streets, hunched over with white, empty eyes, weaving in and out of the crowds with little fear and no hesitation. 

A child tripped, and a shadow paused, regarding the little girl curiously. It reached out, and Eugene stepped forward with a warning shout, unsure of what that would do-

But the shadow helped the girl to her feet, and nudged her forward to her mother. The girl squinted, but the shadow stepped away as if suddenly shy for the good deed. After a moment, the girl shrugged, and rushed off after her mother. 

Eugene blinked, feeling dizzy by what he had seen. 

The dog nudged his hand for more attention, but Eugene ran after the shadow.

_**You don’t need poltergeists for sidekicks  
You don’t need treats and you don’t need tricks** _

“Wait!” Eugene shouted, desperate. A chance, a fleeting chance, was walking down an alley and away from him. “Wait, please, wait wait!”

The shadow glanced back, and then came to a stop. If it was surprised to see Eugene, it’s expression gave no trace. “Please, I…” Eugene paused, suddenly realizing he might have made a mistake. He had no idea what this creature was, or what it could do to him.

The shadow regarded him. _Human?_

Eugene stumbled back as the voice echoed, almost as if he thought of the voice himself. “I-I...how are you doing that?!”

 _Human?_ It asked again.

This time, Eugene slowly nodded. “I...yeah. I was. Aren’t...aren’t you? A ghost, I mean? Is this what ghosts look like to each other?”

 _No,_ It said, and it might have been Eugene’s imagination, but it almost sounded amused. _Me, not human. Me, shade. You, human. Always human._

“Gotcha,” Eugene said, head spinning. “Having a bit of a communication issue?”

 _Hard to speak your language. Apologies,_ It nodded it’s head, and Eugene felt like an asshole for bringing it up.

“Sorry, I just...you helped that little girl. Why?” Eugene asked.

_She fell._

“...how?” Eugene asked. “Can...can only shades touch things?”

The shade paused, as if thinking it over, and then turned. It motioned for Eugene to follow, and after a moment, he did.

 _Our night,_ The shade said, and gestured to the full moon. _Big moon. Much power._

“Because…” Eugene nodded. “Because it’s a full moon and All Hallow’s Eve, you can interact with the world?”

 _Only in light,_ The shade said, and Eugene frowned.

“Light? It’s...it’s dark out,” He frowned. “Do you mean the moonlight?”

 _No,_ The creature pointed. _Only in light._

Eugene followed their point, and saw a group of jack-o-lanterns sitting peacefully. The dog from before sat close to them, basking in their orange glow, and to Eugene’s shock, children gathered around to pet it.

“The...the jack-o-lanterns! They can see you in the jack-o-lantern light!” Eugene smiled widely, hope building up in his chest.

 _Smart,_ The shade complimented. _Not many humans out. Scared._

“Of what?” Eugene asked. “You?”

 _Yes,_ The shade confessed. _And others._

“Others? Other creatures? Will they hurt me?” Eugene asked, suddenly nervous.

 _Dead. No hurt if dead,_ The creature sounded amused. _Afraid of people. Being seen. Hard to talk and to be around when dead._

“So then I can be seen.” Eugene whispered.

The shade tilted their head. _Need someone?_

“I...yes. More than anything. Even if it hurts me, I want...I want to say a real goodbye. Apologize for leaving. Tell her it’s not her fault.” Eugene said.

The shade was still. _Very brave._

Eugene laughed. “I just died. That’s not that brave.”

 _Think it is. Brave to live, too. I think so,_ The shade nodded. _Good luck_

“Thank you-oh, I’m Eugene, by the way,” He said quickly. “Do you...have a name?”

 _Shade,_ The shade said, and left before Eugene could figure out if it was joking or not..

_**You don’t need treats, you don’t need tricks  
You don’t need no Halloween** _

She was there, of course, but for some reason, Eugene strayed away from the light.

What would he even say? All this time he wanted nothing more than to reach out to her, but now that he had the chance, nothing seemed more painful. 

He knew it wouldn’t last forever. Rapunzel’s life would go on, and he would stay stagnant and decomposing in the earth at the foot of the tower. 

But this wasn’t about him. Rapunzel blamed herself, the only person that he had ever really cared about blamed herself for his own death when he had made his choice, and never once regretted that choice.

She deserved to hear it from him. She deserved real closure, even if he never got any.

Rapunzel was pressing candy into a child’s hand, and stepped away to sort through what was left in her bowl. There was a lull in the crowd; it was getting late, and the kids were starting to head home. The wax candle inside the jack-o-lantern flickered, the wax running low.

He took a deep breath and stepped into the light. He didn’t feel any change, and Rapunzel wasn’t looking at him. He took a breath.

“Rapunzel?”

The reaction was instantaneous. Rapunzel jerked up, and the candy bowl flew from her hand and crashed to the ground. Glass flew everywhere, the shards twinkling like jagged, spiteful stars.

Eugene jumped, though he should have expected that reaction. A frying pan was suddenly aimed at his face, and he yelped, leaning away. “Not the face!”

Rapunzel blanched when she saw him, and the frying pan instantly fell from her hands and crashed to the ground. Her mouth was moving, but no words came out.

“Hi.” Eugene said, feeling horribly awkward and hating himself for it. The one time he desperately needed some Flynn Rider-suaveness, and he found himself lacking.

Still trying to speak with no success, Rapunzel stepped forward, ignoring the glass around her bare feet. Slowly, she reached out, but hesitated halfway there.

Eugene closed the distance, and took her hand. Tears sprung to his eyes when he felt her fingers interlace with his, and this time it was his turn to be speechless.

Rapunzel found her voice first, though it was hoarse.

“Eugene.”

_**You don’t need treats, you don’t need tricks  
You don’t need no Hallow’s Eve** _

“Yeah,” He said softly. “It’s me. No tricks.”

“How?” Rapunzel asked. “I...you died. I...I saw you die. I-” Her face suddenly screwed up. “Eugene, I’m so, so sorry, I tried to heal you-”

“Hey, stop, none of that-” Eugene started, but Rapunzel’s voice was growing pitchy and she wasn’t listening.

“I sang that stupid song over and over and it didn’t work, I should have been quicker, I’m so sorry, I should have never made you take me, I…” Rapunzel was gasping. “I-I can’t breathe-”

Eugene pulled her close suddenly, feeling her shaking badly. “Blondie, I’m gonna need you to take some deep breaths for me.”

“B-but-”

“Rapunzel, please.”

It took a bit, and a lot of encouragement, but eventually Rapunzel was able to speak without nearly passing out, though she still held Eugene close. Not that he was complaining. 

“Blondie,” Eugene said before she could start apologizing again. “None of this is your fault.”

“But-” Rapunzel started, but Eugene shook his head.

“You didn’t kill me. She did. That wasn’t your fault.” He said, unwilling to say the name ‘Gothel’.

“But I was the one who made you take me to see the lanterns!” Rapunzel said.

“And I’m glad,” Eugene said. “I don’t regret anything.”

Rapunzel made a strange noise somewhere between a sigh and a sob, and Eugene held her closer. “I would do it again a million times over. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me, and if I had to die for that to happen, so I could meet you, then so be it.”

“You’re not just saying that?” Rapunzel said, her voice very small.

“No,” And then, because he knew how much those two words meant to her; “I promise.”

Rapunzel buried her face in his chest. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

He didn’t know how long they stood there, unwilling to pull away, too wrapped up in the bliss of a supernatural miracle. But the candle flickered, and Eugene saw a familiar, green-haired figure watching him.

Death nodded, an unidentifiable, yet clear expression on their face.

Rapunzel looked up at him, her brow furrowed. “You have to go, don’t you?”

“...yeah,” Eugene said, not seeing a point in lying to her. “I think...I have to go for real.”

“Oh,” Rapunzel frowned, and then squeezed his hand. “Are...are you okay?”

“I’ll miss you, but I’ll be okay,” He smiled slightly. “It’s another adventure.”

In a quick motion, Rapunzel stood on her tiptoes, and kissed him.

He didn’t know how long it lasted, perfect and still, and far too long in the making. But it was worth it, and he would go through it all again a million times over to do it again.

When they finally broke, Rapunzel was still teary, but hey, so was he. “I...I guess I’ll meet you there.”

“Not for another fifty years at least,” Eugene said. “I can wait.”

“Deal,” Rapunzel said, and hugged him tightly once more. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

The sun peeked over the edge of the horizon just as the candle in the jack-o-lantern blew out, and Rapunzel was alone once again.

But she felt much, much lighter.

_**You don’t need treats, you don’t need tricks  
And you don’t need…** _

“So!” Death clapped their hands. “Ready to get a move on, then?”

“I thought you said I would be a ghost forever.” Eugene said.

“I don’t think I said those words,” Death said. “And even if I did, there’s this thing called lying.”

Eugene chuckled weakly, and Death tilted their head. “She’ll be fine, you know,” They said softly. “Not to break professionalism, but she’s a strong one. I can tell.”

“I know.” Eugene smiled, and for the first time in a very long time, he felt excited for whatever came next. 

Death held out their hand. “Shall we?”

And without a moment of hesitation, Eugene took it.

_**Me…** _

**Author's Note:**

> happy Halloween! remember to stay safe and practice social distancing! i will be enjoying my evening in my eugene costume (of course) at a covid-safe party and will clock anyone i catch not wearing a mask  
> come get waaaaaay too excited about halloween with me on my tumblr!  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/toadintheroad


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